The Tale of the Trident
by CCyan
Summary: Basically: Two hundred and seventy-six years ago, Lord Paramount Bryan Tully fought for and won his independence from Ageon II with the help of his son-in-law Lancelyn Lannister. He founded the Empire of the Trident which has now grown massive in size. I'll be adding some new mountain clans and other houses. just FYI
1. Chapter 1

The red fork was cold as ice. Winter had come and the snows had began to fall three days past. The Prince of the Trident waded through the water. The river filled his boots and made him fear for his feet. Once safely upon the other side of the river, Theon Tully scraped the snow of a rock and seated himself. He drew his longsword from its sheath and rose. Theon thrust with the sword in the air and swung it in a circular motion. The day was colder than usual. Although it was not unusual in the Empire of the Trident as it was in the rest of Westeros. Three hundred years ago Emperor Bryan the Great had risen in rebellion against King Aegon Targaryen and won his independence with the help of his son-in-law, Lord Paramount Lancelyn Lannister of Casterly Rock. Lannister stayed on as Lord Paramount but now payed his homage to the Emperor of the Trident. Since then, the Empire had gone southwest and taken Old Oak, Golden Grove and the Shield Isles, they had stretched north taking the Neck, Cape Kraken and Moat Cailin. In the east the Valemen were conquered and in the west the Iron Islands fell before the might of the river.

"Is the air dead yet?" Theon heard a voice coming from his left. He turned and saw a red stallion trotting towards him. The master-at-arms of Riverrun, Ser Bryce Reyne was perched atop the horse with one hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Ser. I don't think you can kill air or that's what Maester Terrence told me" japed Theon.

"Aren't you tired of fighting air?" said Ser Bryce and dismounted "I would see how good I am at teaching"

The knight tied his reins around an oaken branch and unsheathed his sword.

Theon took stance and readied himself. Ser Bryce lashed out at Theon's face. Theon parried the blow and stabbed at his opponent's chest. Reyne slapped the blade aside with the flat of his sword. Ser Bryce struck Theon's legs with the flat of his ornate sword so that the Prince lost his footing and fell.

Ser Bryce sheathed his sword and pulled Theon to his feet.

"Your father wishes for you to join him. He's planning a conquest of the North"

"A conquest? Is not the Empire large enough?" asked Theon, frowning.

"My job is to train and fight not to question his grace" replied Ser Bryce


	2. Chapter 2

Emperor Tytos Tully was standing over a map of Westeros, next to Lord Paramount Tybolt Lannister and Warden of the Neck, Rickard Reed when Theon entered. Lannister and Reed bowed their heads and said: "My Prince"

"My lords" replied Theon and studied the map.

"I could take our fleet and a third of our forces, then I could sail up the sunset sea to conquer Bear Island. From there I can then lead assaults on Deepwood and Sea Dragon Point" offered Theon.

"A good plan, your grace" said Rickard Reed to the Emperor.

"It is. But I will not let the Prince lead the army. Ser Bryce and Qhorin Mallister will go"

"Your grace, I can lead an army same as Lord Mallister!" shouted Theon.

"You can not" said Tytos with a stern, matter-of-fact voice.

Theon stormed out of the chamber in anger. Ser Bryce sat on a bench outside the council chamber with a serving girl in his lap. Ser Bryce was just about to bury his face in the girl's bosom when he saw Theon.

"My prince" he said, "what is wrong?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Ser. Return to your tits" replied Theon and walked away.

Eight months later

It was noon when the last of the troops arrived at Riverrun, it was Garth Oakheart and troops. They arrived two days after Daryn Rowan, bringing a thousand men.

King Daemon Targaryen had sent envoys to Riverrun when he heard that the Empire was massing their troops. The Emperor had sent the envoy off with vauge assurances and soothing words.

At dusk the lords assembled in the great hall of Riverrun to hear the Emperor explain the plans for the conquest. Theon entered the hall last. He was wearing a black doublet with the arms of House Tully embroidered over his chest. On his head he was wearing a silver circlet, inlaid with sapphires and rubies to reflect the Tully colors.

"Lord Qhorin Mallister and Ser Bryce Reyne will take a third of our fleet and sixteen thousand men, they will sail to Pyke and take a third of Lord Greyjoy's fleet and men. From there they will sail to Bear Island and conquer it, from there they will assault Sea Dragon Point and Deepwood Motte" Tytos took a sip of wine.

"Meanwhile Lord Jonos Arryn will take twenty thousand men and sail with his fleet to Skagos, conquer the island, Last Hearth, Karhold and the Dreadfort. Lord Jason Marbrand joining him as well as Lord Jon Corbray and Lord Lyonel Royce.

"The rest of us will march up to Moat Cailin, where we will split our army in half. One will march on Barrowton, the other on White Harbor. After the towns have fallen the army that assaulted White Harbor, led by Lord Rickard Reed will march on Ramsgate and the other on Torrhen's Square"

Martyn Blackwood raised his voice

"Who will lead the army besieging Torrhen's Square?"

"I will"

The voice came from behind the lords, it was authoritative and decisive. Theon recoqnized it instantly. It was his older brother, Brynden the heir to the Empire.

Brynden was tall with muscular arms and legs, he wore his auburn hair long so it brushed against his shoulders. He was wearing armor as he so often did, it was silvery steel with the leaping trout of House Tully hammered out over the chest, upon his pauldrons the trout was featured once again, in minature models. Brynden carried a helm under his left arm. A greatsword was sheathed upon his back, the sword was half a head taller than Theon with a blade as wide as a man's hand.

"My prince" echoed the voices of the lords in the hall.

"My lords" replied Brynden before he turned to Theon.

"Brother!" he shouted and ran up to Theon and engulfed him in an embrace that punched the breath out of him.

Brynden's wife, Lady Alysane Arryn entered the room with her blonde hair flying around her.

"How many men did you assemble, my son?" asked Emperor Tytos. Brynden had been across the Narrow sea for the last four months, hiring sellswords for the war to come.

"Thirteen thousand lone swords, as well as the Long Lances, the Company of the Cat and the Second Sons"

"Seventeen thousand, a good number" said Garlan Bracken.

Brynden nodded and said: "They're camped four leagues east of here"

"What use are you going to make of these sellswords, father?" asked Theon, intrigued.

"Do you think Targaryen is just going to let us take the northern part of his kingdom? We're lucky he's too much a fool to have gathered his strength already. The sellswords will guard our southern borders" replied the Emperor.

Theon left the hall after dinner and went to Riverrun's battlements and sat down.

"Looking forward to your first battle, brother?" Brynden came walking up to him slowly.

"Father will not let me fight" replied Theon.

"Piss on that, I'll smuggle you into my army"

"How?"

"Leave it to me, brother"

Three weeks later

The Barrowlands, the North, 417 AL

Brynden roared as his sword tore through the northman's mail, leather and skin and intrails, seperating his torso from his legs. Brynden turned around and stabbed a Dustin soldier in the gut.

The prince tightened his grip around the hilt of his greatsword and charged into a mass of Dustin and Ryswell soldiers. He slew four and the remaining ten were felled by Reyne arrows.

Brynden slogged through the snow towards Lord Eddard Ryswell. The lord of the Rills was dressed from head to toe in grey steel and was wielding a mace. Brynden smiled inside his helm before he charged. Ryswell blocked Brynden's first blow, but it split his shield in half and the second broke Lord Eddard's arm.

Lord Eddard fell to the ground clutching his arm. Brynden gathered all his strength and then plunged the point of his swords through Ryswell's armor and chest.

At the death of their lord the Ryswell soldiers abandoned their Dustin fellows to their fate and ran away like a spooked horse. Brynden charged at Rodrik Dustin with his sword raised over his head.

After Brynden's first blow shattered his shield, Dustin threw down his sword, raised his hands and shouted: "I yield! I yield!"

Brynden stopped his blade in the middle of a blow and sheathed it.

"Tully!" he shouted "Tully! Tully! Tully!"

His men didn't echo the call, but instead chanted: "Hostsmasher!"

The northmen had thrown four armies at them that day. The first had been a mixture of the remaining Umber troops, some Stark cavalry, a few Manderly knights and the Karhold spears that escaped the massacre. The second was Stark's main forces, two hundred Tallhart swords and a few hundred Flints, Wulls and Liddles.

The third had been surviving Dreadfort men, the remaining Mormont men and five hundred Norreys, Harclays, Knotts and Burleys. The fourth had been the Barrowton men and the Ryswell swords that Brynden had just battled.

Brynden had Dustin chained up and ordered his men to build a pen for him.

Brynden and his host were four leagues southeast of Barrowton when the first army had descended upon them.

"Send a raven to Lord Roose Dustin, inform him that he will open his gates and surrender his garrison, if he ignores this command I will execute his son and heir"

Maester Eddison nodden and ran off towards his ravens.


	3. Chapter 3

Winterfell, the North, 417 AL

The great hall of Winterfell was gloomy.

Lord Cogg and Lord Turnot were singing, laughing and sharing a flagon of ale whilst Lord Blackmyre was sitting in silence, dark-faced and solemn.

"Seems the Blackmyre needs to lighten up" said Artos Cogg and stretched out a cup of ale.

Blackmyre slapped the cup to to the ground, "get that swill away from me, Cogg!"

The men of the mountain clans were fierce, prone to ale and song and brawl but not the Blackmyre.

Word had come two days ago, about the battles in the Barrowlands. Brynden Tully had smashed the four armies they had thrown against them, killed Lord Ryswell and captured the heir to Barrowton. The Flint, the Liddle, the Harclay and the rest of the clan leaders who had marched against the Tullys had escaped the fighting with a handful of men. When Torrhen Stark had read the letter he had split a table in half with his sword. Torrhen's father called for the rest of the mountain men to come to Winterfell and so they did. Cogg and Turnot, Blackmyre and Cameren, Torkett and Fammeron. But it wasn't just mountain men who had been called to Winterfell, Lord Abadon of Lord's Rest and his bannerman, Lord Eddard Leaf of Mistlewood Watch had arrived five hours past.. They brought five thousand men to Winterfell and now feasted in the great hall with Cogg, Turnott and the others. Lord Abadon was dressed in a black and red doublet embroidered with the yellow lightning of his house. Jon Abadon had silver-gold hair, which he wore long, with a close cropped beard. His mother had been a Targaryen, a cousin of the king's father.

Torrhen's father, Lord Paramount Mors Stark entered the hall, followed by half a dossin men-at-arms.

"My lord" said Jon Abadon.

The rest echoed the words.

When Mors sat down, abadon coughed.

"My lord, you have eight thousand men here at Winterfell, me and Lord Leaf stand for five thousand of them and these brave men of the mountains the rest, what do you plan to do with them?"

"The rest of the mountain clans have yet to join me, but when they do, we will march against the Hostsmasher's army"

"Folly" said the Cogg calmly.

The six mountain men and the Lords of Abadon's Reach, a large island in the Sunset Sea were not the only men who were at Winterfell. The young lord Karstark, whose father was killed in the Massacre at Karhold and the twenty remaining Karstark spears. Lord Domeric Bolton and forty Dreadfort men as well as Hoarfrost Umber with three score of freeriders and Leobald Tallhart with a handful of swords. The Mormonts and the Glovers were prisoners in their own castles and many a lord had been slain by the advancing rivermen. The North was cut off from any southron aid as the enemy had blocked their southern borders and controlled the seas in both west and east.

Torrhen's hope was dwindling as Cogg and Blackmyre and Abadon told his father how many men they would lose if the marched against the Hostsmasher.

_Is this what the Starks of Winterfell have come to? Fearing a foe from the south?_

Barrowton, the North, 417 AL

Theon rode beside his brother under the Tully banner, disguised as a common soldier, in a steel half-helm and mail. The gates of Barrowton were opened and Brynden and part of his host marched into the town. Rodrik Dustin was perched atop a grey gelding, head to heel in grey steel, if it wasn't for the ropes around his wrists he would have passed for a knight in their service. When they were gathered in the town, a couple of men-at-arms helped Dustin dismount and cut his wrists free.

The released prisoner ran to his wife and embraced her. Lady Donella Locke was standing beside Roose Dustin. Dustin had wisely surrendered when he heard that Brynden had captured his son. When Rodrik yielded his hundred remaining Barrowton men were given an option, to join the Trident army or execution. Two men had chosen the sword.

The only Dustin forces left were an old serjeant and two score of spearmen.

Roose Dustin knelt an his men did the same. They swore their loyalty to the Emperor and the Trident one by one. That night Lord Dustin feasted Brynden and his commanders in Burrow Hall. Theon stood sentry at the gates to the hall.

Brynden turned around and shouted: "Theon!"

Theon frowned and walked over to his brother.

Brynden tore of his half-helm and threw it to the floor.

"Lord Roose, let me present my brother, Prince Theon, soon-to-be knight of Trout Hall"  
Trout Hall was a moderatly large stone keep on a hill outside of Lord Harroway's Town, and it had been the seat of second sons of Tully for a hundred years. Theon would take it as his seat as soon as they returned to the Riverlands.

"My prince" said Dustin and bowed.

Puzzled by the development of events, it took the soldiers a few seconds to realize what had happened, but when they did they got down on one knee.


	4. Chapter 4

Two months later

Outside King's Landing, Crownlands, 417 AL

Ser Quentyn Dayne rode solemnly atop his gelding. Beside him rode Ser Baelor Hightower

Quentyn fingered Dawn's hilt when he saw a young boy playing with two dogs. He had never liked dogs, they frightened him. It was probably the only thing that frightened Quentyn Dayne, the Sword of the Morning and a member of the Kingsguard. As he rode his white armor catched the Dornish levies were gathered one league northeast of King's Landing.

"Thirteen thousand" said Ser Anders Qorgyle when Quentyn and Ser Baelor arrived at the encampment.

"Good"

The king had tasked Quentyn and his companion to break through the line of sellswords that had been placed along the border to the Riverlands. The Dornish had come up to help while the Tyrells dealt with the Lannister forces in the Westerlands. Ser Quentyn and Ser Baelor were followed by a column of three hundred Gold Cloaks.

"We march immediately" ordered Quentyn.

Ten days later

Border to the Riverlands, 417 AL

Blood spurted up into Quentyn's face as he opened the sellswords throat. Dawn's pale blade was red with the blood of the fallen sellswords. All around him the battle raged. The Dornish army brought up by Anders Qorgyle and the three hundred Gold Cloaks from King's Landing fighting the sellswords hired by the Trident. All over his white breastplate were spots of blood and gore. A small piece of a red bearded fellow's brain was stuck on his helm. When Lord Uller's heavy horse charged into the fray the sellswords broke and routed. Oberyn Uller rode up beside Quentyn.

"Should we follow them?" he asked.

"No. Let them run" replied Quentyn and sheathed Dawn.

Quentyn inspected the dead.

Doran Toland perished with and axe in his chest and Deziel Jordayne by three arrows. Ser Baelor was wounded by a spear.


End file.
